Colorado State's Showdown letdown

Buffs' big plays topple CSU

DENVER -- Jim McElwain stood at the podium and insisted he still believed his team could beat Colorado on Sunday.

The kicker: Not the way Colorado State played in the Rocky Mountain Showdown.

The one guy on the Buffs roster the Rams wanted to contain, Paul Richardson, is the one who got away.

Twice.

And right after the Rams made a few big plays of their own on special teams to take a lead into the fourth quarter, the killer McElwain warned of -- turnovers -- helped turn the tide in Colorado's favor, making first-year coach Mike McIntyre a winner in his debut in black and gold, 41-27, at Sports Authority Field at Mile High.

Advertisement

"We got beat by a team today that was opportunistic," McElwain said. "It's something that when ever you go into a first game, that was something we were worried about."

It only took two offensive plays for Colorado to unleash the Rams' biggest fear, and that was Richardson behind the defense. While he does possess game-breaking speed, he really didn't need it on the play as the Rams' secondary simply lost him. There wasn't another player in the same zip code as Connor Wood stepped up in the pocket and found him for an 82-yard score.

Colorado State sophomore Joe Hanlsey was a bright spot for the Rams on Sunday, returning a punt 74 yards for a touchdown and catching eight passes for 91 yards. But it wasn't enough to keep up with the a revamped Colorado offense playing its first game under coach Mike MacIntyre.
(JEREMY PAPASSO)

Wood, who struggled in seven appearances for the Buffs last year, looked like a different player in McIntyre's system. He completed 33-of-46 passes for 400 yards and three scores, including an 18-yard strike to D.D. Goodson in the second quarter.

McElwain was impressed, but felt his team could have done more to pressure him. Despite blitzing a good portion of the game, the only sack the Rams registered came when Wood was flagged for intentional grounding.

"We were very disappointed," linebacker Shaquil Barrett said. "We know our capabilities, and the coaches know our capabilities. We feel as though we let the team down a little bit. I wouldn't mind putting all the weight on my shoulder for that, because as though I should get to the quarterback more often than what I did today."

Late in the fourth quarter, Colorado State still had a chance, that was until Richardson took a short pass and zipped down the sideline for a 75-yard score, capping his return from knee surgery with 10 catches for 208 yards and the two scores.

Garrett Grayson earned the start for Colorado State, ending the long-kept secret, but it wasn't the type of offensive day either he or the Rams expected. The team picked up just two of 14 third-down conversions, keeping the defense on the field for far too long. He finished 22-of-39 for 201 yards, but the Rams generated just 295 yards in total offense, but thanks to special-teams play, they still had a chance.

Trailing 20-10 at the break, Rams' sophomore Joe Hansley broke free for a 74-yard touchdown on a punt return, and Thomas Coffman followed that up with an 84-yard kickoff return that set up Kapri Bibbs' second touchdown of the day, vaulting Colorado State in front, 24-23.

Hansley's return, the first scoring punt return for the team since 2006, just added to his outstanding day. He has eight catches for 91 yards in the game, giving him 183 yards of total offense before exiting with a sprained ankle.

"I think we did alright in special teams," Hansley said. "That's definitely a positive. Obviously we're going to have stuff to work on, but I think some of the work in special teams paid off."

Colorado's Chidera Uzo-Diribe causes a fumble by Colorado State's Kapri Bibbs. The ball was scooped up by the Buffaloes and returned for a touchdown by Greg Henderson.
(
CLIFF GRASSMICK
)

Colorado kicker Will Oliver put the Buffs back in the lead with his fourth field goal of the day, and his longest, a 52-yarder with 13:07 to go in the game. Colorado State moved the ball to midfield, but on a second-down play, Bibbs fumbled off of a reception and Colorado's Greg Henderson scooped it up for a 53-yard scoring return to extend the CU lead to 33-24.

It was the final momentum swing, the one that eliminated any chance for the Rams to notch consecutive wins over their rival from Boulder for the first time since 1999-2000.

"That's the game of football," Grayson said. "You go out there every day, that's why it's the best game out there. One minute you can be so high and loving life, and the next minute they punch you in the mouth and you've got to go out there and fire back at them."

The only counter the Rams had was a Jared Roberts field goal from 30 yards with 3:47 to go. Colorado proved it knows how to counter with Richardson getting loose once again.

Still, McElwain stood at the podium after the game undeterred by the disappointment.

"You know what, I think we'll have some resolve, I really do," McElwain said. "It hurts guys. I still think we should win the game, and I'm going to tell you we should win the game next year, so go ahead and put in their locker room now. That's what I believe. I do, and I'm good with that. I know they've got my back, and they know I have their back, and that's something that's real comforting as a coach."